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             Cyberwar Secrets Reveled as Obama Preps for Xi Meeting

   by VOA News

   The Guardian newspaper reported Friday that U.S. President Barack Obama
   has ordered various government agencies to prepare for offensive
   cyberwarfare operations, including drawing up a list of potential
   overseas targets for U.S. cyber-attacks.
   It is the third secret U.S. security document to be published by The
   Guardian in 48 hours. The leak comes at an extremely sensitive time, as
   Obama prepares to confront his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at a
   summit in California later Friday over alleged Chinese cyberattacks on
   western targets.
   The Guardian newspaper reported Thursday that the National Security
   Agency was collecting the phone records of millions of Americans.
   Later, The Guardian, along with The Washington Post, reported on a
   separate classified program known as "Prism"  that provides the
   National Security Agency and FBI with direct access to the servers of
   nine major U.S. Internet companies.
   Earlier Friday, Obama defended the programs that allow intelligence
   agencies to collect information on U.S. phone records and access the
   servers of major Internet companies.
   During an appearance in California, Obama said since 2006, the programs
   have been re-authorized by Congress with broad bipartisan support. He
   also said they had made a difference in preventing terrorism.
   It was Obama's first public comment on the issue. The revelations have
   drawn sharp criticism from civil liberty groups and lawmakers who
   objected to the government's broad surveillance powers in the wake of
   the 9/11 attacks.
   However, Obama said Congress has been fully briefed on the programs
   since their inception, and sought to reassure Americans about the
   privacy of their phone calls. He said the government is only collecting
   information about phone numbers and the duration of the calls, not the
   content.
   "Nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That's not what this
   program is about."
   Obama said if lawmakers and U.S. citizens are concerned about the
   surveillance, he welcomes the debate weighing national security and
   privacy concerns. But he said Americans would have to make key choices.
   "I think it's important to recognize that you can't have 100 percent
   security, and also then have 100 percent privacy, and zero
   inconvenience. We're going to have to make some choices as a society,"
   said the president.
   He also said the Internet surveillance program known as "Prism"  does
   not apply to U.S. citizens or people living in the United States
   without authorization from a special national security court.
   National Intelligence Director James Clapper issued an unusual
   late-night statement Thursday in which he called the unauthorized
   disclosure of the programs "reprehensible."
   The top U.S. spy chief said the disclosures would make it harder for
   the U.S. to prevent national security threats.
   Clapper said reports on the programs were misleading, inaccurate, and
   dangerous.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/cyberwar-secrets-revealed-as-obama-pr
   eps-for-xi-meeting/1677748.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/cyberwar-secrets-revealed-as-obama-preps-for-xi-meeting/1677748.html